It is desirable to mix certain industrial gases, such as natural gas or propane, with certain additives to improve the efficiency of the industrial gases. A generator for achieving this mixture is disclosed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 558,945 filed Mar. 17, 1975, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,648. The generators of the prior art normally introduce the industrial gas into a closed container into which a quantity of the liquid gas additive has been introduced. The industrial gas is either percolated through the gas additive or is permitted to mix with the vapors from the liquid gas additive to create the desired gas product. These general phenomena and the gas additive are described in my co-pending application.
One of the problems with the existing generators is that the hydrocarbons of the liquid gas additives volatize very little at lower temperatures in the order of 0.degree. F. or below. Thus, while the liquid gas additives volatize very easily in the order of 90.degree. F., it is difficult to achieve a desired mixture of the industrial gas and the liquid gas additive at lower temperatures.
Electric heaters have been used to raise the temperature of the gas additive and the generator chamber, but such heaters are both expensive and dangerous to use.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a means for applying additives to industrial gas which will automatically introduce the industrial gas either directly into the liquid gas additive or at a point above the level of the liquid gas additive depending upon the existing temperature within the generator. The device of this invention will automatically control the distance above or depth below the level of the liquid gas additive where the industrial gas is released, whereby the proportion of mixture is controlled.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.